Pre-shave lotion



United States Patent 3,063,907 PRE-SHAVE LOTION Walter H. Sharawara, 16 Pleasant St., Whitinsville, Mass. No Drawing. Filed Mar. 16, 1960, Ser. No. 15,258 1 Claim. (Cl. 167-85) This invention relates to a lotion to be applied to the face just before lather or other beard-softening preparation is applied. It is an object of the invention to provide a lotion to firm the skin and to condition the beard for more effective softening by the subsequently applied lather or equivalent preparation.

According to the invention, the lotion is prepared by mixing with witch hazel a small quantity of a wetting agent, preferably a polyoxyalkylene derivative of a hexahydroxy alcohol ester of a fatty acid. For example, I preferably employ polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate, an oily liquid which is a polyoxyalkylene derivative of sorbitan monolaurate and is commercially known as Tween 20 or Tween 21. Five drops of this liquid are mixed into two ounces of witch hazel (the well-known tincture of a distillate of the bark from the shrub Hamamelis virginiana).

Another example is a derivative of sorbitan monooleate commercially known as Span 80. Five drops of this substance is mixed into two ounces of witch hazel.

';In either case, the wetting agent constitutes about one half of 1% of the mixture.

To use the lotion to the best advantage, the face is washed with soap and warm water and dried. A small quantity of the lotion is applied to the face, after which any desired lather or beard-softening substance is applied, whereupon the face is ready for the shaving operation.

If the lotion is used just prior to shaving with an electric cutter, a smoother and more comfortable shaving operation is had.

I claim:

A pre-shaving lotion consisting of witch hazel mixed with one-half of one percent of a polyoxyalkylene derivative of sorbitan monolaurate.

References Cited in the file of this patent Harry: Modern Cosmeticology, pub. by Chemical Pub. Co., N.Y., 3rd revised ed., 1947, pp. 354, 355.

Spalton: Pharmaceutical Emulsions and Emulsifying Agents, pub. by The Chemist and Druggist, London, 1956, pp. 18, 19, and 26.

'Keithler: The Formulation of Cos. & Cos. Specialties Drug & Cos. Ind., N.Y., 1956, pp. 261-264, 324, 328, and 330.

Sagarin: Cosmetics, Sci. and Tech. Interscience Pub., N.Y., 1957, pp. 442, 444-446, 450.

The J. of the Soc. of Cosmetic Chemists, 8:2, March 1957, adv. page XIX.

Sagarin: Cosmetics, Sci. and Tech. Interscience Pub. Co., N.Y., 1957, page 860. 

